What part is this? It's not attached

[Grad12]

V6 3.6. I went in to get the plugs changed in the winter. nothing at all has been wrong with the vehicle. Has been running well. I popped the hood today to clean the intake and this piece is already out.

Maybe the dealer didn't hook it back up. It's dirty now. What does it do? Should I plug it back in? What happens if I don't. Any info would help.

 

[Sandevino]

Can you take a pic of what the connection is attached to? Is it attached to tubing or wires? My first guess would be the PCV fitting attached to the air intake given the crud on the connection, but I’m not familiar with the engine layout.

Have you followed the connection back to where it leads or looked for where it might belong? Is anything missing a connection, possibly underneath something that’s not obviously visible?

 

[Michigan BIGHORN]

V6 3.6. I went in to get the plugs changed in the winter. nothing at all has been wrong with the vehicle. Has been running well. I popped the hood today to clean the intake and this piece is already out.

Maybe the dealer didn't hook it back up. It's dirty now. What does it do? Should I plug it back in? What happens if I don't. Any info would help.

View attachment 220631

Does it the back into the wiring harness that is above it or does the picture make it appear that way? I agree with Sandevino with his advice. Look at the metal connections inside of the plug, even though it has been unplugged for some time and it's dirty on the outside if it was ever plugged in there should be visible signs of that on the metal connections inside the plug (no heavy corrosion). My advice would be this......you say it's been unplugged all along and everything has been operating fine? Don't poke a sleeping bear, leave it be.

 

[Hound Dog]

I just looked at my 2017 and did not see a white plug, sorry cant help

 

[Grad12]

The tube that it plugs into is right there. It looks like the pcv because it attaches to the air intake. What's detrimental to the system if this isn't attached. This probably hasn't been attached in months. Should I continue running it without it plugged in? Doesn't the pcv give me oil blowby anyway which isn't great for the motor as it is.

 

[tron67j]

Can you take picture of inside plug, and one or two more of the sides? It looks like it slides in somewhere.

 

[bigred90gt]

Best bet would be to trace it back to it's source and see what the other end is attached to. That would be a great starting point.

 

[Grad12]

Here we go. Pretty sure it's pcv. But again, I'm not sure what's good or bad about it being plugged in or not.

 

[crossmi]

Just took a peek at my son in laws V6 Ram, it appears to connect to the back side of the engine cover, looks like it simply clips onto the access port. Maybe clean it up and try to connect it ? Hope it helps

 

[kurek]

It looks like the pcv because it attaches to the air intake. What's detrimental to the system if this isn't attached. This probably hasn't been attached in months. Should I continue running it without it plugged in? Doesn't the pcv give me oil blowby anyway which isn't great for the motor as it is.

If that's the PCV its job is to draw gases out of the crankcase - without PCV these gases and vapors (blowby, volatiles that cook out of the oil, water vapor) will condense onto the inside of the engine anywhere that's not in constant wash by the oil and lead to built up crud and also dilute the oil & may cause it to become acidic.

I'd rather burn that in the combustion chamber and send it out the tailpipe than let it accumulate in the crankcase.

 

[46RamMan]

What crossmi said... it goes on the open tube in your middle picture.. make sure you push it on far enough so the white clip holds it on though

 

[ram1500rsm]

That's the PCV system just plug it in.

 

[Grad12]

Thanks for your help guys, I'm assuming that hose vacuums by using the intake as a "suck". I'll clean out the end a bit and plug it in.

 

[Grad12]

I plugged it back in. I swear to you, the truck ran better without it plugged in. Better mpg, felt like it was easier to keep speed on the highway. I don't know the engineering behind this but I am going to look into it. If there is an alternative to plugging the pcv in, I may use it. Is it an environmental thing?

 

[indept]

If that's the PCV its job is to draw gases out of the crankcase - without PCV these gases and vapors (blowby, volatiles that cook out of the oil, water vapor) will condense onto the inside of the engine anywhere that's not in constant wash by the oil and lead to built up crud and also dilute the oil & may cause it to become acidic.

I'd rather burn that in the combustion chamber and send it out the tailpipe than let it accumulate in the crankcase.

^^^^^^ This.
You don't want to disconnect the PCV system.

 

[kurek]

I plugged it back in. I swear to you, the truck ran better without it plugged in. Better mpg, felt like it was easier to keep speed on the highway. I don't know the engineering behind this but I am going to look into it. If there is an alternative to plugging the pcv in, I may use it. Is it an environmental thing?

Give your truck a tank of gas worth of driving to adapt, you just changed the effective volumetric efficiency so your long term fuel trims need to adjust themselves.

PCV is partially to save the environment but it also saves your engine from sludge, so you don't end up having problems like bearing and seal failure from low oil pH, fewer leaks, less likely cam phaser problems from sludge build up, better oil lubricity over the length of the oil change interval. It's a win for the trees and bees but it's just as big a win for your wallet by making your engine last longer and remain leak-free longer.

 

[Grad12]

Give your truck a tank of gas worth of driving to adapt, you just changed the effective volumetric efficiency so your long term fuel trims need to adjust themselves.

PCV is partially to save the environment but it also saves your engine from sludge, so you don't end up having problems like bearing and seal failure from low oil pH, fewer leaks, less likely cam phaser problems from sludge build up, better oil lubricity over the length of the oil change interval. It's a win for the trees and bees but it's just as big a win for your wallet by making your engine last longer and remain leak-free longer.

I had a thought. The pcv runs into the intake through an opening. That was open all of this time, sucking in sweet crisp air and "breathing a little better". Albeit maybe a little warm air, but probably not considering how open the engine bay is with the V6. Would this have been similar to what a cold air intake would give as results. More ability to take in more air?

 

[Ken226]

As Kurek said, give it time.

With the port unplugged, the manifold absolute pressure would have been higher (less vacuum), for a given throttle setting.

Various sensors would detect this, and the computer would have adjusted the fuel input slightly, to accommodate the slightly leaner mixture ratio, to keep it driving normally.

Typically the computer uses manifold pressure, air flow volume, density and temperature, and exhaust stream oxygen information to adjust the fuel/air ratio to optimum.

When they left that port open, the computer adjusted fuel mixture to its new normal.

Now that you've plugged that vacuum leak, it's going to take the computer a little time to make the fueling adjustments and get it back to its new, new normal.

 

[Katmandookie]

This is probably obvious, but a person is essentially dusting the engine with that unplugged. It is unfiltered, outside air. All dust, dirt, and sand are entering you engine. Hope it hasn’t run that way for too long. Maybe someone, at one point, did the old sea foam trick and didn’t finish the job. Hope your engine is ok.

 

[Marshall]

I would be talking to your dealer about this